ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Washington Hotline

Lynne E. Bradley

Lynne E. Bradley is deputy executive director of ALA’s Washington Office; e-mail: leb@alawash.org.

Senate conducts hearing on NGI and Internet 2

On June 3 the Senate conducted a hearing on Next Generation Internet (NGI) and Internet 2 with a number of representatives from higher education. Senator Conrad Bums (R-MT) chaired the Communications Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and clearly expressed concern that rural communities and all types of academic institutions must be involved with the development of the NGI and Internet 2. Bums criticized the makeup of the administration’s recently appointed Advisory Committee on High-Performance Computing and Communications, Information Technology, and the Next Generation Internet. Burns argued that there are not enough representatives from rural academic institutions with only eight states represented on the advisory committee, including eleven individuals from California.

Witnesses from Oregon State, Montana State, and North Dakota State Universities emphasized that rural institutions of higher education, not just the national “top 100,” should be involved with the development and utilization of Internet 2. Other witnesses at the hearing described the process for the development of the NGI by the federal government, the involvement with universities and colleges, and the coordination needed between the federal government’s NGI project and the development of the privately initiated Internet 2. Additional oversight hearings are expected.

Congress continues discussion on HEA reauthorization

Congress continued periodic hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). These hearings targeted financial issues and the high costs of postsecondary education looking primarily at three main topics: 1) how to help students pay for higher education; 2) the price of higher education; and 3) how access to higher education is affected by the president’s tax proposals.

Congress will examine many issues in the context of the reauthorization including the administration’s proposal within the college work study program to waive the institutions’ matching requirement for those that provide reading tutors to elementary school students. Congress remains concerned about how various student aid and other financial programs can be simplified and consolidated.

At one recent hearing before the House Education and the Workforce-Postsecondary Education Training and Life-Long Learning Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Stanley Ikenberry, president of the American Council on Education, testified about five areas of concern: 1) technology cannot substitute for the interaction between students and faculty as higher education is a labor-intensive industry; 2) the exponential growth of both scientific and technological knowledge; 3) a lack of support from any aspect of the partnership between students and families, government, and higher education institutions to finance college; 4) the pressure on institutions to increase financial aid; and 5) issues regarding state and federal regulations.

Congressional representatives are discussing which federal regulations should be eliminated, the definition of remedial education, what cuts in college expenses the panel recommends, how to help middle class families that do not qualify for aid, the apparent relationship between increasing financial aid and increasing tuition, the average level of debt for graduating students borrowing money, and if any public policies steer lower income students away from private institutions.

FCC makes universal service ruling

On May 7 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) completed its rulemaking on universal service which includes the implementation of the telecommunications discounts for K-12 schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. Citing what it believes to be the original congressional intent not to include higher education institutions of any kind in this new policy, the FCC narrowly defined eligible libraries to be primarily public libraries and independent research libraries. Libraries that do not have a separate budget and that are part of another education institution may not apply for discounts. Thus, it appears that academic libraries, because their budgets are part of a larger academic institution, will not be eligible for the discounts. ALA, having previously argued that all libraries that are eligible to apply for Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds and/ or are part of state library telecommunications plans should be included in the discount program, will seek further clarification. ■